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Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy And Exposure With Response Prevention In The Treatment Of Bulimia Nervosa

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Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy And Exposure With Response Prevention In The Treatment Of Bulimia Nervosa

Bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder with psychological, physiological, developmental, and cultural components. The disorder is commonly characterized by binge eating followed by inappropriate compensatory behaviors, such as self-induced vomiting, excessive exercise, fasting, and the misuse of diuretics, laxatives or enemas. Patients properly diagnosed with bulimia nervosa endure many psychological and physiological problems. In order to alleviate these problems for the patient, usually some type of intervention is required. Considering the financial costs to the patient who seeks treatment, it is important to …show more content…

Both methods have been proven to be significantly effective in reducing the symptoms of bulimia nervosa. Although immediate reduction of bulimic symptoms is beneficial to the patient, it is not indicative of recovery. For this reason, my analysis will consider the long-term outcome effects for each treatment method. My findings will influence which method I will recommend for the treatment of bulimia nervosa.

COGNITIVE-BEHAVIORAL THERAPY: MOST POPULAR METHOD FOR THE TREATMENT OF BULIMIA NERVOSA

What is Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy

In 1981, a researcher named Fairburn conducted the first study applying cognitive-behavioral therapy to the treatment of bulimia nervosa. In a recently published report by D. L. Spangler (1999), CBT is touted as “a well-developed, theoretically grounded treatment for bulimia nervosa with the strongest empirical support for its efficacy of any form of treatment for bulimia nervosa.” Today cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is a form of therapy commonly used to treat patients with bulimia nervosa (BN).

More specifically, CBT is normally structured as a series of interventions that addresses the cognitive aspects and the behavioral components of a particular disorder. The cognitive-behavioral approach is based on a theoretical view, which “holds the patients’ beliefs about weight,

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